A transcription service will soon undergo a major overhaul, and it may not be in people's favor.
Otter.ai (or simply Otter) has recently announced it is making some changes to its offerings for both free and paying customers in an attempt to reflect the value of the services it provides to people.
The company has been offering its transcription service since 2016, when it was previously known as AISense, per Crunch Base.
Otter.ai's Changes To Its Offerings And Features
Otter mentioned that it is updating its offerings and their pricing as a means to reflect its true value and ensure it can "Keep investing in innovation."
However, The Verge found that the changes were not necessarily on the side of its users, particularly basic users using the company's free plan.
Otter stated that basic users will no longer access their entire back catalog of recordings and that only the 25 most recent recordings will remain accessible.
This limit means that basic users will either have to delete past recordings or pay to upgrade to Otter's premium plan.
In addition to limiting basic users' back catalog, they can only transcribe 300 minutes worth of transcription per month and have their playback limited to 1.0x speed.
However, basic users won't have only limitations. They also get to use Otter Assistant, an AI assistant that automatically joins meetings on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet for you to capture and share notes and meeting insights.
Otter promises its AI assistant will not miss anything, and everyone gets to stay informed and aligned.
Basic users also get to use its new Automated Outline feature, which allows them to access automatic meeting summaries. These meeting summaries are automatically curated and displayed in the Outline panel for easier access to a summary of what was discussed.
Premium users' Pro plans also received some changes. For a higher price than before, Otter will provide premium users with new features for Otter Assistant, Automated Outline, and a higher limit than basic users.
Those using Otter's Pro version get 1,200 minutes of transcription, 90 minutes per conversation, and ten imports per month.
They can also add 100 names and another 100 words to their custom vocabulary, as well as No Dropbox Sync.
Otter.ai Pro New Pricing Options
Otter's Premium users will have to pay $16.99 per month instead of $12.99 starting Sept. 27, which is the date the changes will come into effect, per Tech Crunch. However, Otter's existing premium users can use their account with its current limit until Nov. 30.
Meanwhile, Otter's annual plan will still cost $99.89. But users that subscribe to this plan before Sept. 27 can get to enjoy the current feature limits until next year.
The company has also given basic users similar offers. They can continue using Otter Basic for free and try out the company's new meeting features starting on Sept. 27.
However, if they wish to upgrade to Otter Pro Monthly by Sept. 26, they will be able to lock in the current price, features, and usage limits for renewals through Nov. 30.
Basic users getting Otter Pro Annual by Sept. 26 will lock in its offerings until Sept. 26, 2023.
